Indian origin couple, daughter die in US car crash

Houston: In a tragic incident, an Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed in a road accident while driving her to college in the US state of Texas, leaving behind their 14-year-old son as the lone survivor. Arvind Mani (45), his wife Pradeepa (40) and their 17-year-old daughter Andril, all were from Leander. The crash happened near Lampasas county, the Austin American Statesman reported.
Their only surviving immediate family member, son Adiryan (14), was not in the vehicle with them.
According to the Texas department of public safety, a 2004 Cadillac CTS driven by 31-year-old Jacinto Gudino Duran was heading southbound on US Route 281 at the same time a 2024 Kia Telluride, operated by Mani, was heading northbound. Evidence at the scene showed the right rear tyre of the Cadillac had a blowout, crash investigators were quoted as saying.
Witnesses claimed the vehicle passed them at a high speed before the collision. The Texas department of public safety said the blowout caused the driver of the Cadillac to lose control and cross over to the northbound lane into the Kia’s path. The Kia crashed into the passenger side of Cadillac, causing extensive damage to both vehicles, officials said.
“It is one of the worst crashes I have seen in 26 years because of the magnitude of the damage and amount of people lost,” said Texas department of public safety trooper Bryan Washko. Twenty-three-year-old Yosilu Gasman Martinez Lopez was identified as a passenger in the Cadillac. There were two passengers in the Kia at the time, named Pradeepa and Andril. All five people in both vehicles were pronounced dead at the scene.
More than $758,000 has been raised to support the family’s surviving member Adiryan, who just started 9th grade, according to the GoFundMe organiser.